September Twenty Third
by causticity
Summary: One-shots of Brittany's birthdays from age eight to nineteen.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story is going to follow Santana through most of Brittany's birthdays from the time they meet when Brittany turns eight to their senior year of high school when Brittany turns eighteen. I'm thinking there are going to be about seven chapters, but I haven't decided if I want to do some future birthdays. We'll see. Enjoy Age 8!**

Age 8

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><p>"Brittany was very thoughtful and brought in cupcakes for the class for her birthday."<p>

I glanced over at the blonde girl sitting diagonally from me. She was new this year. She sat in my pod along with Noah Puckerman and Ian Warner. Mrs. Davis arranged us so that there were two boys and two girls at each pod because she thought that would cut down on the chatter. It didn't of course. Boys would always find a way to misbehave and you can't stop girls from whispering to their friends during class. Most girls hated having to sit next to the boys, but I didn't mind. Noah could be really funny and Ian was quiet.

Even though we sat together, I didn't really know Brittany that well. She would say some pretty weird things, so the other kids teased her. She mostly played by herself. I didn't like to see her get picked on, but I try to mind my own business because if I get in trouble at school my dad is _not_ happy about it. The kids in my class know not to mess with me though. Last year I gave Finn Hudson a bloody nose when he said I couldn't play touch football with the boys during recess because girls don't play sports.

Mrs. Davis picked goody-two-shoes Erin and her best friend Shannon to help pass out the cupcakes.

"Okay, we're going to sing to Brittany, then we'll have afternoon recess," Mrs. Davis said. All the kids cheered. We only got afternoon recess on special occasions. I mumbled along as we sang happy birthday to Brittany.

"Happy birthday, dear Brittanyyyy, happy birthday to youuu!" the class sang loud and out of tune.

Chairs scraped across the tile floor as everyone pushed their chairs back and rushed to line up by the door. Of course Erin was line leader. She always was. I stood behind Brittany, licking at the icing on my cupcake. I thought about saying happy birthday, but then decided not to.

It was raining, so when we got outside I decided to stay under the overhang until I finished my cupcake.

"So what are you wishing for?" Mary Donahue asked Brittany. My attention turned to their conversation. This was a recipe for disaster. Mary only asked Brittany things because she wanted Brittany to say something strange so she could tease her about it, but Brittany never realized that.

"I'm going to wish for Prince Charming to ride his unicorn to my house and marry me," Brittany said happily. I let out a sigh.

Noah came up behind Brittany and smacked the cupcake out of her hand. The thing about Noah was that he could be funny, but he could also be really mean. I think it's because he wants the other boys to think he's cool.

"No one wants to marry you. You're too stupid," he sneered. "Everyone knows unicorns aren't real."

Mary laughed a little too loudly. I was pretty sure she had a crush on him.

The look on Brittany's face was too much for me. It was her birthday after all. I had to do something. I walked over to her.

"Don't listen to them. They don't know anything," I said. Brittany sniffed. She looked so pathetic standing in the rain, crying. The soggy leftovers of her cupcake were melting into the grass next to her. I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I used a word that I had heard my dad call his boss. "Noah is an asshole."

I wasn't quite sure what it meant, but I knew it wasn't nice. She looked up at me. She had nice eyes. They were blue like my swimming pool.

"I don't think we're supposed to say that word," she whispered. I nodded and kicked the ground with the tip of my scuffed sneaker. Then, I spotted something lying on the grass and it gave me an idea.

I picked up the worm and took a step towards Brittany.

"They're the stupid ones because _I_ want to marry you," I said. I wrapped the worm around her finger like a ring. She giggled. I was so relieved that she wasn't crying anymore.

"It's slimy," she said with a smile. "Thank you!"

She flung her arms around me and hugged me close. I felt this strange feeling in my stomach. Hesitantly, I put my arms around her and hugged back.

"You're welcome," I said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the four square courts.

"Let's go jump in the puddles!" she said.

We played in the puddles for the rest of recess. My sneakers got completely soaked, but I didn't care. When we were going back inside, Brittany linked her pinky with mine.

"This is the best birthday ever," she whispered to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I got a new best friend."


	2. Chapter 2

Age 12

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><p>I watched Brittany's face as she drew a cat in the margin of my English notes. She was frowning and biting her lip in concentration. I found myself staring at Brittany more often than usual. Not that I didn't stare at her a lot before, but the summer before sixth grade she had gotten a lot taller and she looked more like a teenager than a kid. She was one of the most mature looking girls in the grade, which was ironic considering the fact that she still acted like a little kid. I was glad about that though. That was what made her my Brittany.<p>

We were going to destroy this school together and be top dogs. I saw the next three years as my time to establish my social standing. I had to be popular to protect Brittany. Middle school was just going to be the building blocks for high school. I saw the older girls in their red and white cheerleading outfits, hair pulled back into tight ponytails running through drills on the football field at the high school. Those outfits represented power to me. I knew that's what I wanted for me and Britt. Brittany wasn't manipulative enough to get herself there, so I had to do it for both of us.

Brittany drew the whiskers with a flourish and dropped her pen onto the notebook. She glanced over at me and stuck out her tongue.

"So complete the unit two exercises for Monday," Mrs. Jennings said. She wrote the assignment up on the board and glanced at the clock. "Okay, I'm going to let you go a bit early. Have a great weekend."

I hastily shoved my books into my backpack.

"Let's go birthday girl," I said. Brittany bounced out of her seat and grabbed her bag.

"My mom is gonna come get us," she said. "You remember I have dance right after school right?"

"I know," I said. I actually loved going to Brittany's dance classes. She had gotten so good. It was surprising because her growth spurt had made her a little ungainly. She hadn't quite gotten used to her new height, but that all went away when she started to dance.

When we walked out of the building, Mrs. Pierce was waiting for us in the Pierce's old red station wagon. She waved eagerly at us. We tossed our backpacks into the trunk and clambered into the backseat.

"Happy birthday sweetie!" Mrs. Pierce said, turning around in her seat to smile at her daughter.

"Thanks mom," Brittany said. "You said that already this morning."

"Well it's my baby's twelfth birthday. It's a big deal," she said. "How are you Santana?"

"I'm fine thanks," I said.

"Honey, do you have your things for dance?" Mrs. Pierce asked.

"Santana has them," Brittany said. I kept track of things for Brittany. She never remembered her dance bag, so I remembered it for her.

"You take such good care of my Brittany," said Mrs. Pierce fondly. She made eye contact with me in the rearview mirror and winked.

Brittany reached over and linked her pinky with mine. "Thanks San," she said.

The rest of the car ride Brittany and I giggled and poked at each other. When we got to the dance studio, we climbed out of the car. I held Brittany's dance bag for her. When we went into the building, Brittany grabbed her things and went to get ready.

"Sweetie, I have some errands to run. Do you want to ride along or watch?" Mrs. Pierce asked. She always asked me that even though she knew I was going to stay and watch Brittany dance.

"I think I'm going to watch," I said. She smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Okay honey," she said.

I took my normal seat and watched Brittany stretch. She looked up and saw me watching her. I blushed a little. She smiled and blew me a kiss. I pretended to catch it, which made her laugh.

They were doing a new hip hop routine. My eyes were rooted to Brittany. I was amazed at how she could control her movements so precisely. She looked effortlessly graceful.

Before I knew it, the class was over and Brittany was bouncing towards me. I stood up.

"What did you think San?" she said, excited. She was still a little out of breath.

"It was really good Britt," I said.

"Yay," she exclaimed before pulling me in for a sweaty hug. My breath caught in my throat for a second. It had been happening a lot recently. Whenever Brittany got really close, a weird feeling came over me. It was like I couldn't catch my breath and my stomach felt like it does right before a big test. When she pulled away there was little pang of disappointment. I cleared my throat.

"You ready to go?" I asked.

When we got back to Brittany's house, she got in the shower. I quickly got her birthday surprise ready in the basement. I went back upstairs to her room and knocked on the door.

"Can I come in B?"

"Yeah," she called through the door. I opened the door in time to see the fabric of her shirt slide down to cover her stomach. I swallowed.

"I have something to show you," I said, grabbing her hand to lead her downstairs. "Close your eyes."

I guided her into the basement.

"Can I look now?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She took her hand away from her eyes. I had made a giant pillow fort in the center of her basement with an opening facing the TV so we could watch The Little Mermaid. It was painstakingly built. I had planned out the architecture beforehand and asked Mrs. Pierce to have the stuff I needed ready. It was massive and it stood on its own with an intricate system of chairs and other supports. She squealed.

"Happy birthday B," I said. She launched herself at me.

"Oh my gosh, Santana. This is the best birthday present ever," she said, her arms tight around my neck.

"Twelve isn't too old for a pillow fort and Disney movies?" I asked, already knowing the answer because I know Brittany.

"Of course not silly," she said. She let go, but planted a kiss on my cheek before tugging me down into the fort.

We lay next to each other, our chins propped up on our hands, and watched The Little Mermaid.

"You know, you have the same color eyes as Ariel," I said. Brittany turned to me.

"You think so?" she said.

"Yeah, definitely. Same color blue. It's really pretty," I said. She looked thoughtful for a second then reached out to run her fingers through my hair.

"You have the same color hair as Eric," she said. I watched as her fingers pulled gently through my hair.

"I think mine is a little browner than his," I said.

"Maybe," she said after a second. Her eyes met mine then trailed down my face. I felt like she was examining my soul. Then she leaned towards me. I didn't realize it was happening until it did. Her lips met mine.

I had only ever kissed Noah and that was for a dare. It definitely hadn't felt like this. His lips were bigger, more chapped, and he puckered up. It was gross.

Brittany's lips were smaller and much softer. They tasted a bit like cherry chapstick. Then I pulled away.

"Britt," I said, panicking. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing the girl. Like the song says," she said.

"Yeah, but—"

"If I'm Ariel and you're Eric then we're supposed to kiss," she said. Her tone was completely even.

"But…" I trailed off. I wasn't sure what to say.

"You didn't like it?" she asked, her eyes searching mine. I had to look away.

"It's not…" I started. "It's not that. It's just that… Well, you know how you're not supposed to say curse words?"

"Mhm," she said. I could feel her eyes on me. I glanced over and then looked away again.

"It's like that. You're not supposed to kiss your friends," I said finally.

"San, you curse all the time," she said. "And you kissed Puck. Isn't he your friend?"

"Yes, but it's different," I stuttered out. She frowned.

"But you're supposed to kiss people you like and I like you. You're nice and pretty and you do nice things for me like in romantic movies," she said. "Why can't I kiss you?"

Again, I didn't know what to say. It's not that I hadn't liked kissing Brittany. I liked it a lot more than I should. That was the problem. I wasn't supposed to be wanting to kiss Brittany again, but I really really did.

"I guess… we're just practicing right?" I said, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. She looked over; her eyes bore into me. Slowly, she nodded. I think she could see how conflicted I was, so she let me make excuses for myself. The excuse really was just for me.

This time I leaned in. It was just as good as the first time. Maybe even better.

"I like this kind of present," she said after we broke apart.

"Well then happy birthday B."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's the new chapter. It's Brittany's 13th birthday. The next chapter is going to jump a few years again. I haven't even started writing it and I'm also struggling through the next chapter of my other fic, so I'm not sure when the chapter will be up. I'm trying to make each chapter longer as they get older and Santana matures intellectually. I hope you enjoy this one. Reviews are always appreciated so I know people are liking (or hating) the story.**

Age 13

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><p>The summer before seventh grade Noah Puckerman got a mohawk, picked up smoking cigarettes, and told everybody to call him Puck. He was grooming his badass image, so I was surprised when I learned that he had also taken up the guitar. I caught him talking to the music teacher at school about bar chords. He made me promise not to tell anyone.<p>

"Chicks dig it, but the guys think only queers like that Hummel kid sing," he had said. I made him promise me something in return for keeping his secret. He said I could borrow his guitar and he would help me learn a song if I wanted.

So Puck came over and he taught me We're Going To Be Friends by the White Stripes on his guitar. He said it was easy enough that I'd be able to learn it even though I don't play.

"Okay, so there and there," Puck said, moving my fingers into the correct positions. "And you're going to pick this string and then this one."

I plucked the strings like he told me.

"Is that right?" I asked.

"Yeah, just make sure you're pressing hard enough," he said. "Like this." He reached up and wrapped his hand around mine, pressing down on the strings. I glanced up at him.

For a guy that was such a douche sometimes, Puck could be really sweet. Even though I was kind of blackmailing him, I was glad he was being so nice about it.

I respected Puck because he did what he wanted. But I could tell that he was absolutely terrified most of the time. Some of the eighth graders had taken him under their wing because he was old for our grade. I saw them smoking behind the school sometimes. I knew that Puck was going to be popular. The other girls were already starting to be interested in him. At Hilary Crawford's end of summer pool party, girls were crowding around him, asking to touch his mohawk and laughing at his jokes. I knew that his social stock was going to skyrocket with the new haircut and attitude. I also knew it would be wise to get in on the action. So when he leaned towards me during the guitar lesson, I didn't stop him from kissing me.

His lips weren't chapped like the first time I kissed him, but they weren't soft like Brittany's. Immediately he got handsy, taking his hands off the guitar and putting them on the back of my neck and waist. It felt like he was trying to suck my lips off my face. After a good thirty seconds of him slobbering on me, he moved one hand from my neck to my thigh. I shoved him off.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Puckerman," I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Come on Santana. You know you're into this," he said, gesturing towards himself.

"In your pre-pubescent dreams," I replied, rolling my eyes and standing up. "You should probably go. My mom is gonna be home soon."

He stood up and ran his hand over his mohawk. "We both know that we're the best looking people in the school. This" He waved at himself then at me. "Is gonna happen."

"Don't hold your breath," I said coolly. I knew Puck and I knew that he liked a challenge. Honestly though, the idea of "this" was not appealing to me. I told myself it was because Puck could be a dick, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Brittany; Brittany, who was expecting me really soon.

"Think about it," Puck said.

"I'll give you the guitar back tomorrow," I replied, showing him the way out. He stopped at the front door and leaned against the door frame.

"The Puckasaurus gets what he wants," he said, winking at me before turning to leave. I shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

I had been planning on going after Puck this year. He would be able to get me into older kids' parties, but something had felt so wrong about kissing him. It wasn't even that I didn't like him because I think he's a funny guy. He can be an ass, but he's not that bad. Out of all the guys in our grade, he's better than most of them. His best friend, that idiot Finn Hudson, is as dumb as a sack of rocks. At least Puck has personality and he's definitely good-looking. I wasn't sure what felt so bad about kissing him. I couldn't help but compare his kiss to Brittany's. I had kissed plenty of people this year during games of Spin the Bottle, but there was something about kissing Brittany that was different. Not only because she's a girl, that's part of it, but because it had felt really good when I knew it wasn't supposed to.

I thought maybe it was normal; I thought that maybe other girls also wanted to be that close with their friends. Maybe other girls wanted to be with their best friend all the time too. Maybe it was normal for my pulse to speed up when Brittany ran her fingers through my hair, or hugged me especially close, or kissed my cheek, or trailed her fingertips down my arm. It's normal to want to be close to someone you care about. It doesn't make me gay or anything.

I went back down to the basement to grab the guitar. Brittany was expecting me at four, and it was already four fifteen. I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, to grab shoes and my cellphone. There were two texts from Brittany.

"_hi san. its 4:10. are you coming?"_

"_you didnt forget me right?"_

I texted her back quickly. I was usually never late for her.

"_of course i didnt forget you b. im coming."_

My bike was leaning against the wall in the garage. I had been riding my bike to Brittany's since I was eight. She only lived a few blocks away, so I managed to convince my parents that I could manage biking there by myself. Lately I've been walking because riding a bike seems a little childish, but right now I was willing to risk looking stupid to get there a little faster. I slung the guitar across my back and grabbed the handlebars to wheel the bike out of the garage. Hopping onto the bike, I pedaled as fast as I could down the street.

When I saw the Pierce's house, their red station wagon was sitting in the driveway and Brittany was sitting on the front step. She had jumped up and run down the driveway when she saw me round the corner. I screeched to a halt by the car and tossed the bike on the lawn.

"Happy birthday B," I said, pulling her in for a hug. "Sorry I was late."

"It's okay," she said. She took a step back, but grabbed my hands and held them in between us. "Is that your guitar?"

"No, it's Puck's," I replied. "He's letting me borrow it."

"I didn't know you played guitar," she said.

"Let's go inside and I'll explain why I have it," I said. I dropped one of her hands and pulled her towards the house with the other. We went up to her bedroom and sat down on the bed.

"So," she said, resting a hand on my leg. Brittany likes to maintain physical contact. She communicates with and understands body language like no one else I've ever met.

"I have your present," I said.

"Is it a sea creature?" she said excitedly.

"What? Britt, no," I laughed. I pulled the guitar around and put my fingers on the G chord. "It's a song. Puck taught me how to play it."

"You're going to play the guitar?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. I was beginning to get nervous. What if this was a lame present. What was I thinking?

"And sing?" she asked.

"Yes."

"At the same time?"

"Yeah, Britt. That's how a song works," I said.

"Wow. That sounds hard," she said. I laughed.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going to try at the very least," I said. "Ready?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. I took a deep breath and began to play.

"Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell, brand new shoes, walking blues, climb the fence, books and pens, I can tell that we're going to be friends."

Halfway through the song, I chanced looking up from the chords to look at Brittany. There were tears in her eyes. She could see that I was about to stop, so she shook her head. I kept going. I wanted to watch her, but I was worried that I would mess up if I looked away from my hands.

"We don't notice any time pass, we don't notice anything, we sit side by side in every class, teacher thinks that I sound funny, but she likes the way you sing. Tonight I'll dream while in my bed, when silly thoughts go through my head about the bugs and alphabet, and when I wake tomorrow I'll bet that you and I will walk together again. I can tell that we're going to be friends."

I plucked the last chords. Looking up at Brittany, I cleared my throat. She wiped away a few lingering tears then launched herself at me. She hugged me so close I was worried she was going to break the guitar.

"Britt," I said. "B, let me move the guitar at least." She let go and I moved the guitar. Then she went right back to hugging me.

"That was the sweetest thing ever," she said into my shoulder.

"You didn't think it was dumb?" I asked. She pulled back.

"You learned to play an instrument and sang for me," she said. "It wasn't dumb."

"I was worried you would want a real present. Not some stupid song," I mumbled.

"San, when you give someone a song, you're really giving them your feelings. And that's the best present ever," she said.

"'Kay good," I replied softly. Brittany leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. My eyes flitted over to meet hers. Her face was so close to mine. I could see her gaze trail down to my lips and I did the same. A little voice in my head was saying don't, but I ignored it.

When her lips met mine, it was like being burnt to a crisp and doused in ice cold water at the same time. They were so soft. Our lips moved like we'd been kissing each other forever. It felt like we fit together. I could feel her smiling into the kiss. My stomach dropped when I felt her tongue graze my lower lip.

She's a good kisser. The thought popped into my head before I could stop it and it brought everything crashing down. I pulled away. Brittany drew in a shaky breath before opening her eyes and smiling at me.

"The only thing sweeter than a song is sweet lady kisses," she said quietly. I stood up from the bed.

"You know we're just messing around right?" I said. The words tasted bad as they fell out of my mouth. The look on Brittany's face told me exactly why it hadn't felt good to say them.

"I don't…" she started.

"Did I tell you? Puck kissed me today. He's totally hot right?" I said. I thought she was going to push the subject of "just messing around", but she let it drop.

"Yeah," she said, looking down and picking at a thread poking out of her quilt.

"Now we just have to find you a guy," I said, plopping down next to her. I felt guilty for shutting her down, but I was scared.

"Definitely," she replied half-heartedly. I reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"B?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday," I said.


	4. Chapter 4

Age 15

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><p>I could feel the bass of the speakers rattling through my feet up into my bones. My chest was thumping and vibrating. My cheeks burned and the thumping increased. On an average day her presence made my heart race, but right now I was a little drunk and she was standing very close to me.<p>

I could see Brittany's mouth moving, but I couldn't catch the words.

"What?" I yelled over the music. She leaned in closer to me, resting her hand on my back. It was cool on the sliver of skin showing between my shirt and lowrider jeans. Her lips grazed my ear as she spoke.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked me. I pulled my cellphone from my back pocket and looked at the small screen trying to focus on the swimming numbers. Shit. 12:02.

"Fuck," I yelled, grabbing her hand. "Come on."

I pulled her out the back door onto the deck where a couple of guys were playing beer pong.

"You all right ladies?"

"Oh yeah. No problem boys," I replied with a flirtatious smile.

"It's 12:03," Brittany said.

"Shit. I know. I'm sorry," I said. I pointed to a couple of empty lounge chairs by the pool and we made our way down the deck stairs and over to them.

The lights were on the in the pool and disturbances on the water reflected dancing lights onto our faces as we sat.

"Fuck. Well, I know it's a few minutes late," I started, glancing at the boys on the deck who were roaring over their game, "But happy birthday B. You know I don't have my present with me right now, right?"

She laughed, her shining blues eyes closed and her nose wrinkled.

"I know. It's okay. I just wanted us to be together now that it's my birthday. Just for a few minutes," Brittany said, her eyes met mine and held with no hesitation.

I swallowed, hoping she couldn't see my pulse leaping out of my throat and my hands shaking.

I used to always know exactly what to say to Brittany. I mean I guess it's not that I knew exactly what to say. It just never mattered. I could say whatever I wanted and know that I would be rewarded with her smile and maybe her warm hand in mine. Lately though, I'd been fucking everything up. I have always taken what I wanted and never taken no for an answer. On the playground when the other kids didn't want me to play tag with them, I'd pummel them until they had no choice but to let me have my way, but it's harder when it's you saying no to yourself.

I've been pummeling myself trying to have my way, but I won't give in. It's a fucked situation.

"I'm sorry I dragged you here the night before your birthday," I said, looking over my shoulder towards the house before taking Brittany's hand. "I know you wanted to stay home."

"That's okay, Santana," she replied. "I don't want you to hurt Puck's feelings."

My insides churned thinking about Puck. He had invited us to this party. We were sort of dating. It was mostly other people that called us a couple. Puck liked to say he could never be pinned down, but it's me that does the resisting. He's mad that I won't sleep with him even though we've been hooking up since freshman year.

When I'm with him, I'm thinking about someone else. He must know that. I've been thinking about the same person since I was eight years old.

It can't be wrong to be in love with someone, I don't think. I don't know.

I realized I had been staring blankly at the pool for a strange amount of time.

"No, I, um, I'm..."

I tripped over my words.

"It's okay," Brittany said again.

"No, Brittany, it's not that I'm... I mean...," I stuttered, gripping her hand tighter. "Please, can we not talk about Puck? Let's talk about you."

Brittany smiled.

"Yes. I'd like to talk about my birthday."

"Exactly," I said. "Your motherfucking birthday, B! You're older than me again."

"Only for two months," she replied. "Same as every year."

I watched as she absently wet her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. Out of reflex, I licked my own lips. She smiled and my heart ached. I took a shuddering breath in.

"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling my hand into her lap.

Her chair was just far enough away from mine that to keep my hand in hers I had to lean forward on the edge of the chair.

"Of course," I said. "Are you?"

"Yes."

Her head was tilted slightly to the side and I could see her examining me. Self-consciously, I pulled my fingers through my hair.

"B?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at you."

Brittany reached out the hand that wasn't twined in mine and ran her thumb down a spot behind my left ear.

"I can't believe it's still there," she said.

"Some scars never go away," I replied. "It was totally worth that sweet slide into home plate."

"You really bled a lot though," Brittany said. "I was scared."

She stroked down the line of the scar once more before dragging her thumb across my cheekbone and resting her hand on the side of my face. Her eyes flicked down to my mouth and back up to meet mine.

"I'm fine now though obviously. That was six years ago," I said.

"I'm still a little scared for you now," Brittany said. "You seem weird, Santana."

I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them again.

"Please don't worry about me," I replied. "Especially not on your birthday. I want you to be happy."

"You know what would make me happy."

"I'm not sure," I said.

Brittany slid her hand from the side of my face to the back of my neck and pulled me in. I felt a swoop in my stomach as she kissed me. It wasn't the first time. It certainly wouldn't be the last.

I kissed her back, hard. Her soft lips slipping against mine and her hot breath in my mouth was all I wanted. I wanted to melt into her and become one person.

"Can we go somewhere?" Brittany asked, pulling away for a second.

I wasn't sure what I wanted yet. I pulled her back to me and felt myself sigh.

"Santana?" she asked again, pulling away once more. "I want to go somewhere."

I bit my lower lip. Fuck it.

"My house," I said. "My dad's on call and my mom is at my abuela's for the night."

Three blocks later and we were at my house. Brittany tugged at my belt loops from behind me while I fumbled with my keys. I nearly dropped them as she kissed the back of my neck. She slid her thin arms around my middle and held me close.

"B, give me a second, please," I said. "I'm never gonna get this fucking door open."

"Am I distracting you?" she asked as she kissed just beneath my ear.

I finally fit the right key into the lock and turned.

"Thank god," I mumbled, pulling Brittany into the house and closing the door behind me.

She put her hands on my hips and pressed me to the front door. A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine.

"I want you," Brittany said, holding eye contact.

"You have me," I replied. "I'm right here."

"No," she said. "I mean I want us to be together."

"We are together," I said. "Right now. We're standing pretty close to each other if you haven't noticed."

I slid my hands up her forearms and back down to rest holding her wrists.

Brittany stared hard at me before leaning in to kiss me again. There was something different in this kiss. I think I knew what it was.

Her fingers slid into my hair and traced down my jaw. Then, slipped down my sides. I gasped a little as I felt her fingers on the bare skin of my stomach. She stopped for a second until I pulled her closer. Our bodies molded to each other. Brittany's mouth tasted sweet like the Sprite and vodka she had been drinking earlier. I was painfully aware of her fingers sliding up my torso under my shirt. When she got to the bottom of my bra, she stopped and pulled away from me.

"Upstairs," she said. She took my hand and led me up to my bedroom.

There was nothing but her hot lips on mine and her hands on my bare skin. Time seemed to fade away as we pressed together.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I'm afraid."

"I know."

"I do love you. So much."

"I know that too."

"Fuck B, I don't know what to do," I said.

"It's not wrong to be in love," Brittany replied. "Otherwise, they would have arrested Disney by now."

I laughed, but suddenly felt tears prick my eyes.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," I said, angrily brushing them away. "I'm so fucking happy right now. This is stupid."

Brittany pulled the covers up over our head and the whoosh of air held the sheets suspended above our heads for a few seconds as we stared at each other.

"It's just us. There's nothing to be afraid of. Except maybe the dark... and that your parents aren't home and a burglar could show up any minute, and also the ocean is really big."

"You know I'd kick a burglar's ass," I said, lightly flicking Britt's shoulder.

"I know," she replied, burying her face in my neck. "So, I'm not scared, and you shouldn't be either."

I sighed and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled closer to me.

"You're right. You're always right," I said. "Old age really does make you wiser. Happy birthday, B."


End file.
